Jan Sarkander
Jan Sarkander | |
|---|---|
Sketch from 1855 | |
| Martyr | |
| Born | 20 December 1576 Skoczów, Silesia, Crown of Bohemia (now Poland) |
| Died | 17 March 1620 (aged 43) Olomouc, Moravia, Crown of Bohemia (now the Czech Republic) |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 6 May 1860, Saint Peter's Basilica by Pope Pius IX |
| Canonized | 21 May 1995, Olomouc, Czech Republic by Pope John Paul II |
| Feast | 17 March |
Jan Sarkander (Czech and Polish: Jan Sarkander) (20 December 1576 – 17 March 1620) was a Polish-Czech Roman Catholic priest. Sarkander was married for a short period of time before he became widowed and pursued a path to the priesthood where he became active in defence of Catholicism during a period of anti-Catholic sentiment and conflict. He himself was arrested on false accusations as a means of silencing him and he refused to give in to his tormenters who tortured him for around a month before he died.
Pope Pius IX beatified Sarkander at Saint Peter's Basilica in 1860 and Pope John Paul II canonized him as a saint in 1995 on his visit to the Czech Republic.